Race + Punishment
Four centuries of racism and systemic discrimination have shaped the foundation of American law and policy, and nowhere is that more visible than in the criminal legal system. From policing to prosecution, and from sentencing to incarceration, decisions about who we punish, how we punish, and why we punish are deeply influenced by racialized notions of danger, criminality, and worth.
The result is a system that does not produce safety, but instead perpetuates harm, reinforces inequality, and concentrates violence on Black people and other communities of color.
CRIL supports social movements, practices, and policies that shrink the scale, scope, and reach of the criminal legal system, advances strategies that end state terror, and cultivates initiatives that center freedom and liberation. Our work includes policy advocacy, impact litigation, research, narrative change, and community
Videos
Watch: Zawadi Baharanyi '17 on the importance of addressing criminal justice reform
Watch: Examining Racial Inequality in the Criminal Legal System
Universal Pretrial Freedom
The Pretrial Abolition Lab is led by Justine Olderman, Distinguished Scholar in Residence with the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law. Students conduct fieldwork on pretrial reform, examining the systemic harms of pretrial incarceration and the growing body of research that debunks its efficacy and necessity. Through a multidisciplinary approach, students explore public education and narrative change, conduct research and design pilot projects, develop strategic litigation and law reform strategies, and study innovative non-carceral alternatives to pretrial detention. The lab empowers students to analyze pretrial practices, create practical solutions, and reimagine a pretrial system without pretrial incarceration.
People’s Campaign for Parole Justice
As a member of the Steering Committee for the People’s Campaign for Parole Justice (PCPJ), the Center works to significantly reduce the number of people in prisons across the state of New York by advocating for policy changes that prioritize the release of aging prisoners and make the parole hearing process fairer and more humane.
The Center also works to diagnose and address the causes of racial disparities in parole hearing releases through rigorous data analysis and research. By unpacking the root causes of disparate outcomes resulting from the current process, we aim to develop viable solutions that address racial disparities in decision-making and, ultimately, reduce the prison population in New York State and beyond.
The Problem with Parole: New York State’s Failing System of Release
A joint report by CRIL and the Parole Preparation Project found New York's parole system is riddled with racial, age, and regional disparities, with people of color granted parole at significantly lower rates than white applicants. The report proposes five legislative and administrative reforms to make the system fairer and more transparent.
Latest in Race + Punishment
- On April 21, 2026, the New York Court of Appeals rightfully ruled in favor of Mr. Ehinmiakhena in a case regarding Fourth Amendment protections during traffic stops within New York State. Read CRIL’s joint amicus with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Fourth Amendment Center.
- A City Without Cages: Creating Pretrial Safety and Liberty, a joint report by the Pretrial Justice Institute, Bronx Defenders, and CRIL.
- CRIL’s joint amicus with The Legal Aid Society in Jarrett Allen v The City of New York, a matter regarding handcuffing defendants at arraignments.
- Our public comment in support of an administrative rule change pertaining to judicial visits in New York State detention facilities.
- Our public comment submitted to the NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision regarding the administration of parole review for incarcerated people appearing before the parole board for offenses committed at a minor age.
- Our May 2025 update to Freedom Delayed, Justice Denied: Increasing Racial Disparities in New York State’s Parole Release Decisions.